So there's been a bit of 'backdraft' as it were to the revelation that Rory McIlroy played a round of golf with U.S. President Donald Trump in Florida last weekend.
There's been comment that Rory shouldn't associate with someone that has made racist and sexist comments. There's been comment that Rory is damaging his own brand by accepting an invitation to play with Trump. There's been comment that Rory is normalising Trump. There's been comment that Rory isn't a role model and should show more sense.
Like it or not, Donald Trump is the democratically elected President of the United States. He won 63 million votes. Now maybe Trump will weaken democracy in America, and I certainly won't be spending any money on tourism across the Atlantic as long as he's President, but that's my choice. That's my protest against Donald Trump. It's up to Americans to decide on their leaders. And it's not up to me to pass judgement on Rory McIlroy.
One thing I have discovered about Rory McIlroy from observing him is that he does his own thing and will continue to do his own thing. He's on his own team. And that's fine. We don't own him, nor should we try to.
When I read Paul Kimmage's interview with Rory in the Sunday Independent in January, this quote the County Down native made about his conversation with Olympic champion Justin Rose came to mind:
'Justin, if I had been on the podium (listening) to the Irish national anthem as that flag went up, or the British national anthem as that flag went up, I would have felt uncomfortable either way.' I don't know the words to either anthem; I don't feel a connection to either flag; I don't want it to be about flags; I've tried to stay away from that.
Rory McIlroy is a brilliant golfer who represented Ireland as an amateur and has saved the Irish Open. I truly admire what he has done for our national championship and his tears at the K Club were genuine. Beyond that, however, I don't care. I am indifferent to Rory McIlroy and he deserves the freedom to do whatever he wishes. I don't have the emotional connection with him as I would with Padraig Harrington or Shane Lowry, but maybe that's because they constantly reinforce their Irishness; be it Harrington's voyage to the Olympics to represent his country or Lowry's passion for Offaly GAA. They remind us that they are on our team and we viscerally identify with them, so we cheer for them and hold them to account. Maybe we should leave it at that. As isn't the opposite of love not meant to be indifference?
